BLOG TOUR: To Be Honest by Maggie Ann Martin [Review & Giveaway]

To Be Honest
Maggie Ann Martin
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: August 21st 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

Savannah is dreading being home alone with her overbearing mother after her sister goes off to college. But if she can just get through senior year, she’ll be able to escape to college, too. What she doesn’t count on is that her mother’s obsession with weight has only grown deeper since her appearance on an extreme weight-loss show, and now Savvy’s mom is pressuring her even harder to be constantly mindful of what she eats.

Between her mom’s diet-helicoptering, missing her sister, and worrying about her collegiate future, Savvy has enough to worry about. And then she meets George, the cute new kid at school who has insecurities of his own. As Savvy and George grow closer, they help each other discover how to live in the moment and enjoy the here and now before it disappears.

Goodreads

Maggie Ann Martin hails from Iowa City, Iowa but moonlights as a New Yorker. She has a shiny new BA in English and Journalism from the University of Iowa, the most welcoming literary community in the world. When she is not writing, you can find her binge watching TV shows or passionately fangirling over fictional characters on the Internet. The Big F is her debut novel.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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Thank you Giselle of Xpresso Book Tours for hosting a blog tour of To Be Honest by Maggie Ann Martin and for providing me a digital copy thru NetGalley in exchange of honest review. (Note: This does not affect my opinion of the book)

This is my first Maggie Ann Martin’s novel and I am excited to dive in because it is about self-worth, self-love and body positivity.

To Be Honest is charming and engaging with lovable characters. It start with Savannah’s sister moving to college and she’s left living with her mother (because her parents are divorced). Savannah is smart who enjoys math and journalism, is a strong and confident woman. Her mother is a very effective antagonist here. She literally boils me and made me mad with her “advises” about dieting. It is frustrating and brings back memories because I received same words from my husband before and it really hurt me.

Savannah’s story is a lived experience of anyone who is experiencing fat shaming and that people around them thinks that being skinny is healthy. It gives me confidence about my body, to accept and love it more.

I enjoyed this book because of the positive outlook of Savannah and her good relationship with her sister and her best friend, Grace. Okay. Grace is very supportive best friend that you would want to steal her. Also, lovely and entertaining. Further, Savannah’s name is my niece’s name, who is also bright and adorable like Savannah in the book.

George and Savannah’s chemistry, on the other hand, is fascinating. They are actually cute together and I like that George like Savannah in every way.

To Be Honest is fast read with good character development and definitely your summer read!